Iron boss Alan Knill spoke to his club's official website ahead of his side's League One match against Carlisle at Brunton Park on Easter Monday afternoon, Knill saying that 14th placed Scunthorpe aren't safe from relegation yet despite their recent good form :
“I think we have to keep looking over our shoulder as there are so many games left, some teams have six, we have got five. There are plenty of points to play for and the league has shown that anybody can go on a run. So, we have go to just look after ourselves and we have got a tough game on Monday against Carlisle, we will do our best to pick up points in that game and then it doesn’t matter about the other teams around us.
“You just want to finish the season strong and you want to give everybody something to believe in for next season. It has been tough and still is tough but the second part of the season has been really good and for us to go nine games unbeaten and win five of those when the pressure is really on has been fantastic from everybody. It is not just the team or the players, it is everybody, the away support has been fantastic wherever we have been and against Exeter on Friday in the second-half especially the supporters got behind the players.
“It makes a massive difference and we can only do it together, we can’t fight each other, it causes problems, but the good thing is that for us we are starting to give them something to shout about and that is important. That first-half of the season was pretty tough for everybody but the second-half we think we are giving people something to shout about and to enjoy.
“That is the idea, that when they come to watch us play and watch their team that they go home and at least they have enjoyed watching us. So, we are going in the right direction but it is just that, there is always a but isn’t there, you just don’t want to take your foot off the gas and be complacent because you know there are a lot of teams on decent runs. It is for us to continue ours and make the season as good as it possibly can be."
Meanwhile midfielder Sam Togwell commented to the Iron's official club website :
“There is no reason why we can’t go to Carlisle on Monday, be at home to MK Dons and away at Huddersfield and get massive results. It would be massive for the fans but for us we believe we can go there and dominate and get a result. Even if we don’t win a draw is a good result away from home, but we have had too many draws at home and that has been the problem this season."
In team news for the Iron tomorrow afternoon they will be definitely be missing three players through injury, while they also have doubts over two others. The confirmed trio of absentees being Michael Collins, Connor Jennings and Garry Thompson, central midfielder Collins having been sidelined since the end of August with an Achilles problem, while striker Jennings has only just returned to full training recently after breaking a bone in his foot in mid-January, and finally right-winger Thompson has been out for three weeks now with a groin injury.
The visitors meanwhile are also unsure of the participation at Brunton Park of Damien Mozika and Jordan Robertson with such a quick turnaround between games, both players having taken knocks to the ankle that required their substitution in the Iron’s Good Friday 1-0 home win over Exeter. In better news for Scunthorpe boss Alan Knill though he does have Mark Duffy available, the right-winger having now finished a three match ban that he picked up for being sent off for elbowing former Carlisle trialist Patrick Cregg in a 0-0 draw at Bury three weeks ago.
The referee for tomorrow's match is Jock Waugh from Sheffield and he will be assisted down the lines by Paul Graham from Failsworth, near Oldham and Paul Marsden from Preston. Meanwhile the fourth official is almost from Preston, Michael Salisbury hailing from nearby Penwortham.